High Fever
by Julie Honeycomb
Summary: MakoHaru. Makoto spreads a type of disease to Haruka that causes a fever so intense it leads to hallucinations and other unpleasant things.
1. Latent Period

I think this maybe is going to be my shortest chapter for this story, so definitely expect a bit more next time. Hope you like it!

* * *

**High Fever**

**1\. Latent Period**

Makoto reached the solid ground, the tile around the pool. He convinced himself he'd be better the next day. As soon as they all got out of the pool, he hurried to attach his fingers to the wiring of the chain-link fencing and looked at the floor. There was a slight nausea he felt, and as he stood up straight again, he told himself in silence that it was caused by how fast he had gotten out of the pool.

"Do you feel like eating ice cream?" Haruka asked him from a few meters. Even if he had the slightest urge to throw up, maybe it was related to the hotness of this particular summer. "I'm melting"

"Yes" he answered and put on a smile for Haruka, before following them.

While they read and analyzed the flavors, Makoto tried to decide which one was the least likely to get him sick. 'It's just ice cream, it can't be too bad in the summer, I'm sure' he thought to himself, and decided to go with black cherry. He was the last one to ask for ice cream and by the time it had been handed to him, the others were licking theirs staring at him.

"So where are we going now?" Nagisa asked "Your house, Haruka?"

He looked at him. "I guess so, where else can we go?"

Rei glanced at the sky "Well it's getting late, so we better go there and then we'll all go back to our own."

Makoto tried to mask the fact that he wanted to cough, but he couldn't. He coughed a few times but no one seemed concerned by it, except for Haruka, who only glanced at him afterwards but continued walking.

Being halfway done with his coffee ice cream, Haruka noticed that Makoto was very slowly eating his own. He approached him. At first Makoto tried to act as if he hadn't noticed and kept his sight at his front, but then Haruka spoke.

"Something's wrong, Makoto?" he asked, and waited for a response before realizing that they were getting closer to a bridge that went across a wide river.

Makoto was looking at him, smiled and then turned his gaze to his right. "No"

Haruka moved his ice cream from his right hand to his left one, and stopped Rei by the shoulder.

"Do we have to go through here?" he asked. Rei turned around to lift an eyebrow.

"Well if we don't, we'll have to go back and take another route which will be quite a few kilometers."

Makoto didn't want them all to walk so much unnecessarily for him.

"It's okay, Haru." Makoto touched him on the shoulder, near the neck, from behind "I walk along it, it's not a big deal."

"You know you don't have to do it. We can totally change the route." he answered.

Rei seemed confused. "Hm? What for? What's the problem?"

Ignoring him, Makoto continued the conversation with Haruka "No, I can do it, really Haru."

With his last word came another smile that convinced Haruka. He turned around again Makoto positioned himself at his right before getting a foot on the bridge.

It was at the moment of looking down when he started to be conscious of his breathing in a way that made him feel that he had to be sure to breathe constantly, as if his body wouldn't do it by itself. He touched his neck with three fingers and discovered that he was in fact very anxious, by the feel of his heartbeat. At moments Haruka glanced at him, and both Rei and Nagisa turned to look but Makoto's sight was lost on the surface of the water. It was very deep. So deep that he only saw navy, and his eyes looked along all of the river that could be seen, and he remembered that those waters would be in the ocean.

Then he saw something moving among the water and, before he could think clearly, took the right hand of Haruka with his own left one. Nagisa and Rei turned around to look forward again. In order to demonstrate a sense of security that he hoped would calm Makoto, Haruka licked his ice cream in complete silence as he stared at him.

There was no way to recognize the big grey spot inside the water. By the movements it was most probably a big fish, but Makoto still felt uncertain, in a similar way to when one is in complete darkness in their own known room seeing distinguishable things around them and, unable to remember what they were before turning off the lights, interpret them as staring faces and eyes and mouths with fangs, or bodies scattered on the floor, and one has to keep staring at them until naming them, trying to convince oneself that there's no reason for something unknown and foreign in one's own room, and that no one can be staring since one's already drawn the curtains and closed the door.

He doubted the structure of the bridge. For a moment he was sure it would fall apart eventually, soon. And not only him would die but everyone on the bridge would, whether drowning or eaten. He pulled Haruka closer to himself, and he could see Makoto was pale.

"You're having a panic attack." he whispered.

Even though he could feel sweat on his skin, Makoto was cold, and the ice cream was melting on his fingers.

They were on solid ground again, and slowly the color went back to Makoto's face. The first thing he did was licking the melting parts of his ice cream, and noticed that the three looked at him and for seconds looked at each other.

"Are you okay?" Rei asked, as Haruka had his hand on Makoto's back. His breathing was very loud.

"Yeah" he said finally, and touched Haruka's arm to indicate it was enough. "Thanks everyone, but I think I'd like to have a different route next time."


	2. Prodrome

_I'm sorry for taking sooo long to write this second chapter, and also for the fact that it's so short after all.. Anyway, thanks for the read and I hope you like it!_

* * *

**2\. Prodrome**

Waking up he couldn't breathe. His throat was dry enough to make him gasp for air. It may have been for more than a minute that Makoto heard himself make what could have been a scream if he had had a voice. His hands were attached to the wall, almost pushing it, as if he could have fell. In fact he may have thought he could fall, since he was unable to reason and thought that would be the very last of him. He was still not breathing.

At the moment of making what he by instinct thought of as a breathing motion, or what his brain recognized as such, there was something that obstructed his throat and stopped the movement. For a moment he tried to breathe through his nose, midway resorting to his mouth again. He could breathe again only after calming down.

Having gone to the kitchen for a glass of water, he thought it weird that it was so hot at six in the morning.

The arrival to the pool where they were to practice was the most tranquil part of the day.

''Have you been well?'' Nagisa was the first one to touch the subject, after a pretty boring conversation during which Makoto wanted to get home as soon as possible, but knew they were to practice.

He was unable to decide on his answer for a moment. It had took him by surprise.

''Oh... Yes.'' he said, not ready to ask for help.

Nagisa got closer and spoke softly. ''How did you feel yesterday, after you arrived home?''

''Um... I was alright. A bit dizzy.''

''Can you practice?'' Rei asked. Haruka turned to look at Makoto, who answered:

''Yeah, of course.''

Suffocating, the wind was also hot, even. He could only hope the pool's water was cool. He noticed he was sweating. He was the only one he could see with their face shiny. At first he thought he was unusually nervous, then he thought he only could feel the heat, but he came to no conclusion. No one else had ever mentioned how hot it was. Almost impossible, given that even if it was twenty five degrees, it really felt like thirty-something, maybe forty.

It wasn't until Makoto reached the pool area that someone, Haruka, noticed that he was sweating and his skin had gotten a pink tint. His body trembled but he was able to balance his feet on the wet floor, at which he stared. Already inside the pool, Haruka started talking to him.

''Are you alright?'' he asked.

Makoto answered with a barely audible 'yes'. Haruka extended his hand to help him get into the pool. Realizing that it became obvious to others how bad he felt, Makoto hoped he could practice without problems. He kneeled and took his hand, getting one leg at the time and submerging into fatigue rather than mere water. Nagisa arrived.

''You're sick?'' He asked upon diving into the pool.

''No.'' Makoto could answer.

''Alright!'' he exclaimed

''Let's start. Rei, get in!''

''Just wait a minute, this is not a good idea.''

''No, Rei. I'm fine.'' Makoto assured. Offended by his suggestion not being taken seriously, Rei didn't continue insisting. At the moment of diving, Makoto got the impression that his body was heavier than it used to be only some minutes ago, and that he somehow sunk into the pool. For a moment, he wasn't reaching what seemed like the bottom of the pool. He couldn't see the sunlight reflecting on the white foundation of the structure. He couldn't see light at all.

''Haru!'' Nagisa shouted, pointing at him. By the time he finished speaking, Haruka was pulling Makoto's body back to the surface, noticing before anything else that his friend's eyes were fully open, but he did nothing to prove his own consciousness.

Rei took his wrist before Haruka could. ''Call an ambulance, I can't tell if he's breathing''

As they had been told, Makoto wasn't fully conscious. He slept for now on the hospital bed. Trying to talk to him would be pointless. It was Rei who spoke first.

''This wasn't a panic attack.'' Rei said later ''I think he was sick and we couldn't tell.''

Hesitating on whether or not to say he had noticed, Haruka pressed his own wrist with his other hand, and through the small window of the room's door, he saw Makoto's face. He stared until he was forced to look at Nagisa since he said something.

''I'm sorry I couldn't tell. I knew there was something weird with him, though.'' Haruka merely looked at him, just for it to be known he had heard him talk.

''At least it appears to be nothing serious. The doc told me he was probably just very dehydrated and passed out from heat.'' Rei said. He looked down.

''That's pretty weird'' Nagisa said ''It's really not that hot.''

''Maybe it was that combined with... what happened yesterday.'' Haruka added. It was bizarre for him that he even felt cold, and it got cooler as time went on. He could swear he felt a slight pressure on his temples as he spoke, like the sign of an incoming headache. Also realizing he was tired, he turned to look through the door's glass again. He saw that Makoto's eyes were open, almost unnaturally, but he was certain they weren't working properly at the moment. Still, he felt as if he stared, almost as if the condition had eaten his soul but his body was the one that worked. It was a funny thought, in a way, but he didn't smile. No one smiled.


	3. Symptom

_First of all I'm so sorry. I know I know it took the longest time, honestly I was just not motivated and whenever I tried writing something on this I just felt it wasn't good enough, as you can see it's even a lot shorter than most chapters. I hope you enjoy anyway, sorry for making you wait again._

**3\. Symptom**

Almost tasting his own sweat all over his face, Haruka woke up. Although his face seemed red and his skin was in high temperature, he managed to stay in school all day, starting from the moment in which he got out of the house and walked to school. Steps were eventually heard behind him. Clearly those were Nagisa and Rei, who walked beside each other but kept a notorious distance from Haruka. Rushed by wanting to finish the day at once, Haruka started walking faster. Nagisa looked at Rei. This last one looked back at him but was slightly disturbed by the expression he encountered, though it wasn't because such expression was unusual. Nagisa showed the typical barely smile, and he kept looking at Rei while showing said shape of his mouth. Rei stopped. Haruka slowed down, though he was oblivious to what was happening behind him.

''Nagisa'' Rei simply whispered. He needed a moment to notice that Rei had been drained of all kind of joyful sentiment that could be shown. Even the happiness that could have been caused on Rei by the mere presence of Nagisa was absent. Rei pushed his glasses up and kept walking. It seemed that his face was forming a frown that got more noticeable with each step.

Haruka was faced with the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to leave everywhere, and not knowing whether being outside was worse than indoors, and he didn't talk except when being asked something by the teacher. He needed to sleep.

After school, Haruka walked alone to his house, though he was stopped by an unexpected guest before the entrance of it.

''Makoto'' Rin uttered. ''I've heard something happened to him.''

Haruka stared. There was no point in talking to him about Makoto. The conversation Rin would drive towards somewhere else, though Haruka did know that Rin cared about his old friend, so he did give a piece of information.

''Makoto hasn't woken up since he passed out yesterday.''

Rin seemed concerned for a split second.

''And-''

''That's all I know.''

Rin sighed rather loudly. He couldn't force a smile, but clearly was reluctant to show his feelings. He swallowed and brushed a part of his hair with his fingers.

''And how will you be?''

Frowning, Haruka answered.

''What do you mean?''

''This affects you deeply, I'm sure. You even look kinda sick, did you not sleep?''

He stared as long as he could before he decided to finally enter his house, planning not to say anything else.

''Haru'' he pronounced. At the moment in which Haruka had the door at centimeters from closing it, Rin took it by his side of the knob and pulled from it to force it open so hard that the recoil of it almost hit Haruka in the face.

''You care so much about Makoto. Don't you, Haruka?''

''Unlike you?''

Rin stared with his eyes deeply set on Haruka's. ''You don't get it'' He whispered.

''Leave.''

''You don't seem that bad'' Rei said as he inspected Makoto's face ''Just a bit paler than usual.''

Makoto's eyes also seemed to be drooping down

''And maybe sad too.'' Rei ended the sentence.

Makoto made half a smile to free them of worry, but he started to think.

As the doctor explained to them what was going on, he only thought of himself and his life.

''As far as we can tell it's just a fever, but it's weakening him so much he has to stay here.''

After seeing how the moon reflected on the pool, Haruka entered it despite him feeling sick, and for moments that felt like hours he was swallowed by it, in a way. It looked like the deep blue sea from the inside. Something physical prevented him from looking up just to make sure it was a pool, and he thought twice before wanting to shout or do anything. He felt he was being pulled down. It seemed like he was going from the highest layer of the ocean, down towards the deepest, darkest parts. It was a short time and yet he was flowing with ease, as if almost weightless. He couldn't see his own body among the dark. He could have sworn he saw a shark in the distance, before he reached out with his arm to the surface of the water.


	4. Melting

Haruka was going to visit Makoto, and he agreed to let Rin with him. As they walked, he noticed Haruka walked a lot faster.

''Calm down there, he's just got a fever.''

A pain grew on the left side of Haruka's head. He massaged it, almost pushing the skin with his fingertips.

''I have to rush this'' He replied. He crossed his arms until they arrived to the closed door from Makoto's room. In a second he pushed it open and entered, with Rin behind him, staring from the start at Makoto. They were all silent for several seconds. When Haruka was just about to say something, Makoto started speaking.

''You're the ones that will end me?'' he asked.

Forced to believe that Makoto was trying some sort of deadpan humor, Haruka chuckled.

Rin coughed fakely, and touched Haruka's arm to tell him something was wrong. He looked at him, then back at Makoto. He sighed.

Makoto did nothing but sit with his fingers touching each other on his lap. His back resting on two white pillows, his body covered in a white blanket. It all meant only one thing.

''You've already dressed me for my funeral.'' He said ''At least you've thought ahead.''

He imagined himself as about to be executed, on his knees before two soldiers making a firing squad.

Rin could see Haruka's face as if he was about to faint.

''He's delusional'' he explained in a whisper to Haruka, not taking his eyes off of Makoto.

Makoto and Haruka both felt like suffocating, although only Makoto struggled to breathe. The other felt cold sweat on his face, and swallowed his spit several times before speaking again.

''What are you saying?'' he asked ''What's happening to you?''

''Shut up and kill me now.'' Makoto said ''I'm starting to feel the heat come in again.''

Haruka got closer ''Do you even know what the fuck is happening to you?''

Rin stopped him by the arm ''Don't try anything. This is temporary.'' He felt Haruka would try to slap him out of it.

''Give me water. Give me water before you kill me. It's my last wish.'' Makoto held Haruka by the shirt collar and looked into his eyes. Haruka couldn't avoid looking back into his eyes with constricted pupils and remember when he talked to him as he was entirely on his senses, only a few days ago. Remember being with him when he started showing symptoms of being already in a way detaching from reality.

''Rin.'' He said ''Bring him water.''

Rin sighed and walked, faster than he himself expected, towards the water jug nearest to him and after filling the cup at its side, came back to the room to see the doctor walking in the other side of the hallway.

''I won't ever kill you, I swear'' Haruka whispered close to Makoto's mouth as Rin brought the cup to his hand.

Makoto looked away from him as he said it, but took the cup and started drinking. He couldn't believe any words from Haruka's mouth.

''We don't want to hurt you at all.'' He kept saying. As soon as he finished drinking, Haruka touched his wrist and Makoto immediately pulled it away from him.

''Just get it done with.'' He said, just before the doctor entered the room. He noticed how Makoto looked at them, and even though he was calm in his way of speaking, his skin was shiny with sweat and he looked redder than an hour ago.

''I'll have to ask you to leave.'' He told Rin and Haruka ''His state is not good for visitors.''

They both stared and Haruka nodded. He looked one last time at Makoto and tried to smile at him before leaving.

''They won't do you any harm'' The doctor said to him, and then turned back to leave the room as well, towards the two guys.

''Hey.'' He told them ''There's something you have to be aware of right now.''

''What is it? About Makoto?''

''Yes'' He swallowed his saliva ''Sit down.''

''I don't want to hear this.'' Haruka said, and he licked his lips, that tasted salty. ''I know what you'll tell us, and I don't want to hear.''

He turned around to leave then, but Rin turned around too to talk to him.

''Hey! Haru!'' he called ''This is important. Just hear what he wants to say.''

Ignoring Rin, Haruka kept walking towards the exit of the hospital. Rin walked towards him and grabbed him by the arm, to which he replied:

''It's not the time for this. It really isn't.''

Back at home, Haruka submerged in the water of his bathtub and curled himself into a fetal position. It was very hot for him too. He needed to drink water too. With the headache (even though it was diminishing because he took pills) it was a struggle to get up and get himself a glass of water in the first place, so he got up and wandered around naked on the kitchen until he had satisfied himself. Then he took ice from the freezer and ran towards the bathtub to put them inside. After he got inside, he felt he couldn't make deep breaths, as if there was something in his belly. He tried breathing, assured himself he wasn't anxious and there was no reason for those issues. He then tried breathing fully one more time, and after failing and only being able to take shallow, short breaths, he got up. He went outside, still again naked, and felt his capacity to breathe leave him as he kept thinking of Makoto.


	5. Boiling

_Well, hello... I'm sorry._

* * *

**5\. Boiling**

''Well... I don't know what to say to you.'' The doctor told him ''We still don't know what exactly is happening. We haven't had a case like this before.''

Makoto didn't feel the urge to look at his eyes as he took off his surgical mask and left the room. He continued laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, with no intentions of looking anywhere else. It was so hot that he was almost starting to feel cold on his feet, as if ice had dropped from the sky and through the roof. In a way he knew he was hallucinating again, but it was different. Although there was a jug with water beside him, he kept drinking his saliva as if it was hydrating him. He stayed on that position for maybe hours, until he heard a knock on the door. He was unwilling to answer but the idea of the knocking continuing bothered him more. Then he recognized the knocking rhythm.

''Yes?'' he got to say.

Haru opened the door. ''M-''

The ringing of his phone interrupted his greeting. He ended the call before it began, before Makoto could even get discouraged.

''Hello..'' He said and got so close to his face that when seeing his eyes Makoto chose to pull his neck towards his and give him some sort of hug from the bed. Thinking of what to say, Haru kept silent. Makoto could speak again.

''I can't believe what I did to you yesterday.'' He said and, with no energy after the hug, his head fell on the pillow again.

''Don't worry about it... It doesn't matter anymore.'' Haruka responded ''Just lay down...''

After minutes of no talking, Makoto could open his eyes again. He wasn't sure whether he had fell asleep or not, or how long Haruka had been there, or if he was. He stared at Haru across the room, almost closing his eyes, until he knew what to say.

''Do something so I know you're real'' then Haruka turned to look at him as he said it. He frowned.

''What.. do I do?'' He asked, and got closer to touch his forehead, expecting it to be something like what he wanted.

''The water...'' He said. Haruka understood how enlightening the two words were. There was something on the water, on the pools, maybe on the Sea, possibly on the drinking water as well. He was holding the metal jug, burning with the sunlight that had been touching it, as he realized Makoto was staring again.

''You want to drink some?'' he asked, and tilted the jug for the water to fall on the paper cup.

''Drown me.'' He said. Makoto had been sweating so much for so long that he felt his skin stick to the sheets and his head to the pillow. Now it was Haruka who stared with the cup in his hand.

''What?'' Makoto asked.

''Drown you?'' He replied, putting the cup on the small table again and getting on one knee in front of Makoto to look at him closely.

''Hm? I said splash me.'' He raised an eyebrow, and afterwards Haruka did too. He took the key from his pocked that the sun hadn't seen in all day and rubbed it all over his face, and got closer again to do it to Makoto as well. During half a second Makoto felt a cold wave going through his body and leave before he recognized it. As he heard Makoto breathing, Haruka took the jug and let the water pour on his face, and let it splash heavily on his body, leaving the sheets soaked. Their breathings were a lot less apparent.

''Take me swimming.'' Makoto could smile. Haruka smiled back and they both stared at each other until they heard the phone ring again.

''It's Nagisa'' He said, and answered. Nagisa was the first to speak.

''Hey...'' The voice Haruka heard was a more quiet and weak version of Nagisa's usual one.

''What is it?'' He asked, knowing that the state of his voice was deeper, enough to be unrecognizable by someone else.

''I'm already swimming though – In my sweat.'' Makoto said while Nagisa replied on the phone.

''I don't know but... I think it might be the same thing that Makoto has.''

Before Haruka could answer, Rei took the phone and spoke.

''How high is the possibility that there was... some sort of animal in the pool... When we practised?'' He asked.

''There are no animals in pools.'' Haruka answered, but he contemplated different answers after saying that.

''Really?'' Makoto asked him. Detecting some sarcasm in his tone, Haruka remembered him being mesmerized by the river before he'd started to panic. It was becoming harder to breathe, and Haruka couldn't find the reason why.

''Are you sure? Not even some sort of thing that could transmit a disease?'' Rei followed.

''I'm not really the person to ask.'' Haruka said and hung up. He was struggling to breathe again.

''Yes... Let's swim, Makoto.'' Haruka took him in his arms while escaping the hospital, making no sounds. Outside, the sun's warmth was sticking to their skin like tar. They both submerged in the water, although it was much harder for Makoto and he had to rush to the edges of the pool every minute. And when he wasn't able to, Haruka took him and got him out of the pool and then inside again.


	6. High Fever

**6\. High Fever (Epilogue)**

There was no reason to go and see Makoto now. As soon as he woke up, Haruka looked at himself. It was a much more accurate sight of himself than the one he had yesterday night. Hearing the stable rhythm of his breathing, he felt more like himself, as if he were seeing the world the way it was supposed to be seen from the start. However, he still felt the heat from his fever.

He knew where to find cold water, so he walked towards that place. The beach felt further away as he started sweating and then closer when the wind freshened his sweat. He wasn't sure exactly at which point in the way to the beach he had removed his clothes, but arrived in that state either way. Although the heat his body forced on him made it difficult to think of anything other than his own body and he barely could make out the space he saw in front of him, he imagined Makoto swimming in the sea.

The sand was moving as he stepped on it. So much that he wondered whether he could keep walking before it all traveled into the sea. When his feet went inside of it, it burnt his feet. Then it seemed to him like it started to be night very early, since it was as if someone was turning off the lights of the area. He saw darkness only, and didn't know what he did aside from getting further inside the water. But he could still see things if he imagined them, and saw Makoto's green eyes. He felt his body heat made the water boil around him, but couldn't see more than movements. Once his chest was submerged, he couldn't stop himself from being taken by a current. The shore that he could still feel seconds ago by stretching his arm was not there. Haruka hadn't been enough times in the sea to recognize the sounds that arrived around him, those that could have been animals but sounded more like objects that someone or something moved or scratched near him. Then he went down. Under the sea, his vision improved, but he didn't stop going further down. Of course he hadn't thought of breathing, only of falling. But there was a point in which he stopped, or at least it seemed that way because his view didn't change anymore, but he could have been still sinking. Among the black surroundings, there was something small that became bigger, something light. When it became so big that it was clearly in front of him, he felt cold at last.


End file.
